Matt Mills

Matt Mills

Contributing Editor, Metal Hammer

Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Prog and Metal Hammer, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, NME, Guitar and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.

Articles by: Matt Mills

Halestorm

“This record is about unapologetically accepting that you are the sum of all of your parts”: Halestorm discuss their next album, inspired by Motörhead, country and Skid Row

By Emily Swingle published

Produced by country connoisseur Dave Cobb, Halestorm’s sixth album will be sometimes eclectic, always energetic

Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit onstage in 2023

A Limp Bizkit-inspired IPA called “Fred Thirst” exists now

By Matt Mills published

Swap that hot dog-flavoured water for something a bit more palatable

Jeff Loomis onstage with Nevermore in 2011

Reactivated Nevermore holding open auditions for new singer and bassist

By Matt Mills published

Returning members Jeff Loomis and Van Williams are also defending the comeback following criticism from founding bassist Jim Sheppard

Employed To Serve 2023

“I wanted to explore melody even more than we have in the past”: Employed To Serve’s next album inspired by In Flames

By Matt Mills published

The UK metalcore bruisers have pulled influence from Gothenburg metal for their hotly anticipated fifth album

Robert Smith onstage with The Cure in 2023

The Cure’s new album could be out this summer, and Robert Smith has just detailed two songs set to appear on it

By Matt Mills published

The Cure’s new album Songs Of A Lost World took 16 years to come out. Their next one may take just a few months.

Avenged Sevenfold singer M Shadows onstage in 2024

“The lowest on my list of things we’ve ever done”: M. Shadows names the Avenged Sevenfold song he considers a “throwaway”

By Matt Mills published

“That’s not a great ballad. We’ve had much better ballads.”

Iron Maiden in 2024

“We’re gonna be doing stuff we’ve never, ever done before”: Bruce Dickinson promises Iron Maiden’s 2025 tour will have a “setlist for the ages”

By Matt Mills published

Bruce Dickinson wants us to expect big things from Iron Maiden’s Run For Your Lives tour this year

Mikkey Dee in 2015

“Another day and I’d be playing drums with Lemmy in Heaven”: Scorpions and former Motörhead drummer Mikkey Dee was hospitalised with sepsis last month

By Matt Mills published

The Scorpions/ex-Motörhead man is at home recovering after a series of surgeries, but is expected to appear at all of his current band’s planned live dates

Jay Weinberg in 2024

Ex-Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg is making a solo album

By Matt Mills published

The now-Suicidal Tendencies member says he’s been working on his own music since his early 20s

Linkin Park/Slipknot/Evanescence/Korn/Kittie

"It’s actually Sid Wilson’s favourite Slipknot song." Inside nu metal's greatest deep cuts

By Metal Hammer published

From a Slipknot buried treasure to the long-overlooked Korn rarity, these are the overlooked classics in the nu metal canon

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Metal Hammer's 50 best albums of 2024

By Metal Hammer published

From Judas Priest's Invincible Shield to Nightwish's Yesterwynde and Opeth's return to extremity, these are the metal albums that ruled 2024

Metallica performing live in 2022

Why Robert Trujillo hasn’t written much Metallica music: “These guys write amazing songs, and I’m not going to suddenly insert myself”

By Matt Mills published

The bassist has co-written only a handful of Metallica tracks since joining the metal titans in 2003

Kerry King in 2024

“If you look at the leads he was doing and when he was doing them, he kind of innovated a lot of that stuff”: Slayer’s Kerry King names metal’s most overlooked guitarist

By Matt Mills published

The Slayer man makes the claim while listing his five favourite players of all time

Jeff Loomis onstage with Nevermore in 2011

Prog metal heroes Nevermore tease reunion with cryptic social media vignette

By Matt Mills published

The American band’s ranks have included Jeff Loomis (ex-Arch Enemy), Chris Broderick (In Flames/ex-Megadeth), Pat O’Brien (ex-Cannibal Corpse) and late singer Warrel Dane

Massive Attack in 2010

Massive Attack hope to release new music next year: “It’s good – I’m looking forward to it!”

By Matt Mills published

The trip-hop pioneers have been sitting on new songs for four years due to a “dispute at the label”

Scott Ian with Anthrax in 2022

“They politely said, ‘We will never air this. You are banned from MTV.’” Scott Ian reveals which song got Anthrax banned in the 80s

By Matt Mills published

Didn’t see much of Anthrax on MTV during the mid-1980s? Their founding guitarist explains why

Slash

“I’m really, really stoked about where this one’s going. It’s gonna be cool.” Myles Kennedy talks new Slash and the Conspirators album

By Matt Mills published

Hot off releasing blues album Orgy Of The Damned this year, Slash is diving back into his work with Alter Bridge man Myles Kennedy

Megadeth performing live in 2024

“It’s only a matter of a couple weeks before everybody converges on to the studio”: Megadeth are working on their next studio album

By Matt Mills published

Sounds like Dave Mustaine’s thrash icons won’t take another six years to release their next album…

Gary Holt onstage with Slayer in 2019

“Those are the threads of a poser shirt!” Exodus used to cut hair metal t-shirts with knives during 80s concerts

By Matt Mills published

Gary Holt says his thrash aggressors used to hack hair metal tops to pieces – despite secretly admiring Ratt and Dokken

Joe Duplantier of Gojira performing live in 2024

“We were shocked: ‘Is this real? What does this mean?’”: Gojira reveal who came up with their fire-spewing, show-stealing Olympic Games performance

By Matt Mills published

Who had the vision to let metal’s eco-warriors dominate the Paris Olympics opening ceremony? Joe Duplantier gives Metal Hammer the answer

Best death metal albums of 2024

The 10 best death metal albums of 2024

By Rich Hobson published

From the cosmic death exploration of Blood Incantation to the welcome return of Nails and Job For A Cowboy, these are the 10 albums that defined death metal in 2024

Giant Walker

“We’re maintaining en element of prog but hopefully still being accessible”: Giant Walker chase an audience who wouldn’t normally bother with their style of groovy riffs

By Matt Mills published

With elements of Deftones and Soundgarden in their experimental approach, Newcastle quartet want to preach their prog news at the heavier festivals

Floor Jansen wearing cream coloured hat and white dress

“Nothing is finished yet, but it will come”: Floor Jansen will use Nightwish’s touring hiatus to make her next solo album

By Matt Mills published

No Nightwish shows? No problem! Singer Floor Jansen will still be productive during the symphonic metal titans’ downtime

System Of A Down

System Of A Down announce first full tour since 2018

By Matt Mills published

The nu-metal-but-not-really favourites will trek across South America in May

Blaze Bayley in 1995 and Paul Di'Anno in 1981

“In our heavy metal world, he’s almost as important as Elvis Presley”: Blaze Bayley remembers fellow Iron Maiden alumnus Paul Di’Anno

By Matt Mills published

Iron Maiden’s 90s singer pays tribute to his fallen predecessor, who died in October at the age of 66